Level on points in the top six of the Championship table, Ipswich Town and Hull City will meet in an important contest at Portman Road on Tuesday.
The two sides both trail the automatic promotion spots by three points and lead seventh spot by seven points after back-to-back wins.
Match preview
Ipswich Town head back into Championship action at Portman Road on Tuesday aiming to make it three straight league victories to boost their automatic promotion hopes.
In search of an immediate return to the Premier League under the management of Kieran McKenna after last season’s relegation, the Tractor Boys currently sit fourth with 60 points on the board from their 33 games, the fewest played by any side in the division at this stage.
They have shown their class at both ends of the pitch, with only leaders Coventry City topping their tally of 59 goals and no team conceding fewer than the 34 goals they have allowed.
McKenna’s men have strengthened their top-two claim with three wins from their last four games, beginning with victories over Derby County and Watford either side of a defeat to Wrexham, before they hosted Swansea City on Saturday and dished out a 3-0 beating thanks to goals from Anis Mehmeti, Ivan Azon and George Hirst.
Now sitting fourth in the Championship, two points behind third-placed Millwall with two games in hand and three behind second-placed Middlesbrough with one in hand, Ipswich Town will bid to make it three wins on the bounce and continue their climb towards the automatic promotion spots on Tuesday.
© Imago / IMAGO / APL
That will be no easy task, though, as the visitors head to Suffolk aiming to close the same narrow gap to the top two.
Hull City’s first season under the management of Sergej Jakirovic has been particularly impressive, having only avoided relegation on the final day last time around before now sitting fifth in England’s second tier with 12 games remaining.
From their 24 outings thus far, the Tigers have managed 18 victories alongside 10 defeats, having most recently bounced back from consecutive losses with a crucial pair of wins to stay in the top-two picture, firstly bouncing back to winning ways in a 4-2 home triumph over playoff-chasing Derby County.
A tough trip to Portsmouth then followed on Saturday, and Jakirovic’s men left Fratton Park with all three points as Matt Crooks‘s goal 17 minutes from time made the only difference between the sides.
Now also sitting three points outside of the top two and seven above seventh spot in the playoff race, Hull City will bid to give their standing in the automatic promotion fight another major boost with what would be an impressive scalp at Portman Road.
Ipswich Town Championship form:
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Team News
© Imago / IMAGO / Sports Press Photo
Ipswich Town remain unable to call on Ashley Young, Conor Townsend and Jaden Philogene on Tuesday due to ongoing injuries.
Azon and Hirst will compete to lead the line after both scoring last time out, while Sindre Walle Egeli, Kasey McAteer and Jack Clarke will push for spots in support, with the latter boasting 12 league goals so far this term.
That is after Mehmeti, Marcelino Nunez and Wes Burns started behind Azon at the weekend, while Dan Neil and Azor Matusiwa should continue in midfield despite competition from Jens Cajuste.
Hull City head to Portman Road without Semi Ajayi, Ryan Giles, Darko Gyabi, Toby Collyer, Mohamed Belloumi and Yu Hirakawa.
They will field a similar starting XI from the weekend’s away win, but Crooks may come in from the start after his decisive goal off the bench following his own injury layoff.
He may support key front man Oli McBurnie who has netted 13 goals in 25 league games this term, while Joe Gelhardt is another danger man having hit 11 and four assists in 27 Championship appearances.
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Walton; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, Davis; Matusiwa, Neil; Clarke, Nunez, Mehmeti; Azon
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Pandur; Coyle, Hughes, Egan, Famewo; Hadziahmetovic, Slater; Gelhardt, Crooks, Joseph; McBurnie
We say: Ipswich Town 2-1 Hull City
Tuesday’s contest promises to be an intriguing and pivotal one with both sides in form and in hot pursuit of the automatic promotion spots.
We give the hosts an edge in quality and depth, though, and see the Tractor Boys as most likely to take all three points from a tough test.
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